The advocate and Topeka tribune. [volume], December 28, 1892, Page 2, Image 2

About The advocate and Topeka tribune. [volume] (Topeka, Kan.) 1892-1894

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The Cnm&us. I ctfer that in evidence, u bavin j bssa ths mult of ths wcr'i
of Meesrs. Wood villa and Byrns together, and want it to go in.
Memorandum of erasures, alteroitrmt, and changes found in " Tteaitter of Puhlie Debt Warrants
from January u twi, to December 3U mi. Secretary of the Treatury.
Ml States Tmiu Fra Exposed.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES.
Number of
Year. Date.
warrants
April 23, 1880. Ordered to he printed. December 17, 1880. Ordered to be. reprinted.
Ma. Davis, of West Virginia, from the Select Committee to Investigate the Finance
Keporta, Juoolu ana Accounts oi tne iTeasury Department, subraitted to fol
lowing report:
UTo. 8. Continued from last week.)
issuing or legal tender kotes.
In regard to the issue of legal tender notes, Major Power testifies (see testl
mony, pages 92 and 93 ) :
By the Chairman:
i
Q. The register's came is on the notes, I believe? A. Yes, sir.
Q. Does the register ever see the notes? A. Not until they are redeemed.
Q. Then a note issued, though it is signed by the register, never parses through
tne register's oacer A. That la, tne notes bear tne fae simile ot tne registers sig
nature.
Q. I understand that the superintendent of the printing bureau delivers to the
treasurer direct tne notes, legal tenders or fractional currency when tne latter was
in existence. Do they pass through any other hands but those two? A. They do
not.
Q. They are ready for circulation when the treasurer receives them from the
printing bureau? A They ar then ready for circulation.
Q. They are ready? A. Yes; but they cannot be put into circulation legally
until the treasurer covers the amount into the treasury; they are not money in the
treasury until covered in.
Q. Still they are in his possession, and no one else has possession of them but
the treasurer, and he ooula, if he was dishonest, put them in circulation without
malting any further report about the matter? A. There is no other check upon
the immediate iasue of these notes.
Q. They do not pass through the register's office until they are redeemed and
ready for destruction ? A. No, sir.
Q- Then are they registered in the register's office, all that have been de
stroyed? A. They are.
Q. And the same as to delivery from the printing bureau to the treasurer has
been in existence since the act creating the two classes of notes, the legal tenders
and fractional currency? A. Yes, sir.
Q. And they pass through no other hands, I understand, as a check? A. No,
sir.
This shows that the register's name is on all legal tender notes, that he does
not see them until they are redeemed, and that there is not a proper check on the
treasurer or bureau of printing in this regard, so that the chief of the bureau of
printing or the treasurer, it dishonest, could put notes improperly in circulation.
AMOUNT OF INTEREST OK BONDS.
James Gilflllan, treasurer of the United States, testifies (see testimony, pages
104 and 105):
By the Chairman :
Q. To put it practically, if you were asked to-day to furnish this committee
with the total amount of interest and principal received last year in bonds which
were sold, could you furnish it? A, Not from the books, my impression is, without
going through and taking the warrants and separating them.
Q. You understand that when the entry is made upon the books it is made in
gross and not in separate entries, one of principal and the other of interest? A.
Yes, sir. The items of receipts are internal revenue, land?, war and navy ( which ara
repay men s), and miscellaneous. The miscellaneous includes the pubho debt and
utter receipts, except those before named, which would include principal and in
terest. I think that was what you requested of me in my statement.
Q. Which you said you could not furnish? A. Yes, sir. It was said it could
not be furnished as the books had been kept from 186L
Q. No separate account on the books was kept of principal and interest? A.
Of the receipts, no, sir.
Q. Can your office give the exact amount of bonds now in circulation? A. No,
eir.
Q. Then you might, so far as your office is concerned, pay coupons of duplicate
numbers, or a greater amount of ooupons than were out? A. If they were genuine
coupons.
Q. How would you know whether they were genuine or counterfeit on the
came principle that you know whether a note is a counterfeit or not? A. Exactly.
Q. But you have no means of knowing whether a bond has been fraudulently or
illegally or wrongfully gotten into circulation or not? A. Unless in the case of
'registered bonds, whioh are caveated, and we might have been notified; but we
never should be notified of that, because it is not neceosary.
This shows that the treasurer keeps the moneys reoeived for bonds, principal
and interest together, and that he cannot tell from the books how much was re
ceived for principal and how muoh for accrued interest for a given time; that is,
t ecru ad interest on bonds sold is not kept as a separate account The treasurer
f3js interest on bonds, but he cannot give the amount ot bonds outstanding. The
treasurer pays all coupons presented, if genuine, but he does not know whether or
cot duplicates are paid by him or by the sub-treasurers elsewhere.
APPARENT ERASURES AND CHANGES IN THE BOOKS OP THE TREASURY.
On the question ot erasures and apparent ohanges in the books of the treasury,
the committee call attention to the following testimony of Mr. Woodville (see tes
timony, pages 110, 111, 112 and 113) : '
William Woodville recalled.
By the Chairman :
'" Question. By whom was the statement that I handed you prepared? (Exhibit
ing.) Answer. Prepared by Mr. Byrne, formerly a clerk of this committee.
Q. Have you examined it by the books so as to be able yourself to testify to it?
A. Yes, sir; I can testify to this statement. I went over it with him and checked
it off with him from the other book.
Q. Have you recently re examined it? A. Yes, sir; I have refreshed my memory
about it to-day.
Q. Is it correct? A. It is correct, with the exception of a few memoranda; whioh
O marked there; two exceptions which 1 have specified on it.
13C6
18C6
1867
1668
18C9
Aor.
May
Jan. S
17
Feb. 8
9
10
17
Mar. 8
16
Apr. 17
28
May 8
17
20
Jane 5
19
21
22
July n
Aug. l
s
14
Sept. 4
14
14
21
25
30
NOV. 8
8
8
8
27
Deo. 18
Jan. e
18
22
20
80
18
7
12
IS
28
June 8
6
13
23
July 31
31
Aug. 2
21
23
23
Sept. 4
21
29
29
Oct. 31
81
31
NOV. 18
22
Jan. 7
7
8
8
12
15
Feb. 19
Mar. 29
June 12
27
Aug. 8
24
24
27
81
ftopt.21
Oct. 17
Dee. 2
2
Feb. U
June 3
8
July 81
Aug. 27
8pt 12
Oct. 81
Nor. 12
12
Mv.20
July 31
Bpt.30
Oct. 30
30
NOV. 80
1737
1883
2063
2099
2118
2180
2302
2398
2678
2734
2DC5
2944
2983
3118
3238
3263
3275
8445
8028
3629
3672
8718
StfSl
Scratched.
...do
4025
Scratched.
4088
4971
4372
4373
4374
4486
4611
4746
4817
4862
490O
494)
6454
5621
5673
5701
6795
6888
6900
6968
6064
6436
6437K
6473
6008
- 6632
6634
6742
6926
6938
6940
7232
7234
7234
7331
7378
20
22
27
30
52
83
Scratched.
397
663
704
830
8C9
870
875
884
931
Scratched.
1051
1052
62
174
174
236
259
285
346
377
877
60
135
178
186
187
203
Amount altered and Scratched
Amount altered and scratched out; canceled
Amount altered and scratched
....ao
....do
....do
....do
....do
....do
....do
....do
....do
....do
....do
....do
....do
....do
....do ,
....do
....do
....do
....do
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Amount altered v d scratched out ,
do
Amount altered and scratched ,
Amount slteted and scratched out
Amount altered md scratched
Amount erased with red lines should be In treasury
proper
ao
.do,
do .
Amount altered and scratched
....do ,
....do
....do
....do ,
....do ,
....do
....do ,
....do
....do
....do
....do
....do
....do
....do
...do
...do
.o
..do
..do
..do
....do
....do
...do
...do
...do
....do
.do
.do
....do
do
Amount altered and scratched; canceled
ao
Amount altered and scratched
Amount altered and scratched ; canceled . ,
amount userea ana scnucnea
...do
Amount altered and scratched; canceled
Amount altered and scratched ,
..do
..do
..do
..do
..do
....do
.do ,
.do
Marked In margla "(Directed same ti Issue on Novem-
Der IV' ana tnetntry crossed out with buicxUn ,
whilst the amounts In figures are not erased. The ag-
WKaie amount oi n warrant is
Amount enwed with red lines; see next page
....do ,
Amount erased with lines: canceled
Amount erased with red ones 14 460. oo
00 527.42
Amount altered and scratched
do
Amount erased with red lines; canceled
Amount erased with red Uws
Amount erased with red lines; canceled
ao
do
In sersl amounts this warrant shows alterations and
scra'cues .
In the recapitulation (or the month of Jul. 1&39. la the
uem m b aeropuon or me nwna i-os," tne ngurea
ara auemi ana scraicnea mvi ksi n
In tne reciDltulatl in for the moucn of Ansrust.
tne amount entered are in several items altered and
scratched.
Amount altered and scratched
do
Amount altered and scratched: premium on sinking
fund principal
Amount al ertd aid scratched; redemption of the pub-l
uo aeu
In the month of November, 1869, the amounts entered
in tne recapiiuiauoa are scraicnea ana altered is
several Items.
Boom 65, Triasuet Building,
Committee on Tbiasubt Accounts,
Washington, D. 0., NoteuJm 22, 1878.
Senator: I make, at jour request, a copy from ray "memorandum-book ot
alterations and erasures," from a book called u Register of Public Dbt Warranta."
In my examination ot the books furnished the committee by the secretary of the
treasury, I have thus far noted 1420 alterations and changes in the thirty nins)
books I have examined.
Most respectfully, your obedient servant, ED WD. BYRNE.
Hon. H. O. Davis, Cnaitman, etc
Q Have you made examinations of different books ia the secretary's, the regis
ter's and the treasurer's office? A. My examination was particularly in the regis
ter's and treasurer's books, and the publio debt ledger of the secretary from 18C0 to
1871, inclusive.
Q Did you find upon those books alterations, or errors, or erasures in figures?
A. Yes, sir; I found alterations, scratches, canceled warrants.
3. To what extent? A. In the treasurer's books from 18C0 to 1SG7, inclusive,
terations, scratches, and canceled warrants amounted to about 1,200 in round
numbers,.